Grace for days....

This whole Chip and Joanna Gaines thing has me up in arms.

I know that in other places on the planet, real Christian persecution exists. People are dying for their faith. They are smuggling Bibles. They are worshipping in house churches, constantly threatened to be shut down. I get it. This is why I have never been a big proponent of American Christians crying about how bad we have it here. Are you kidding me? I own like 5 different Bibles. I can read them whenever I choose. My children are not being taken away because of my faith. I have not lost my job. I go to a wonderful, warm, and inviting church whenever I choose. I am essentially free to practice my faith in the United States.

I think the reason the Gaines controversy is really getting me fired up is not for what is actually happening. But, if this story gains a lot of headwind, the implications for the future are disconcerting, to say the least.

I don't know if any of you even know who Chip and Joanna Gaines are, so let me give you a little background information.

Chip and Joanna Gaines are the hosts of a television show on HGTV called Fixer Upper. The basic premise of the show is that the Gaines duo show old and decrepit homes to people who cannot afford to buy new. Chip and Joanna then give the people ideas of how to fix up the homes and how much (roughly) it will cost. The clients pick a home, and then Chip and Joanna get to work fixing and changing it. Of course, there is a big reveal at the end, and everyone leaves happy. In addition, throughout the show the viewer gets to glimpse a portion of the lives of Chip and Joanna Gaines and their children. It doesn't take very many episodes to get the feeling that the Gaines family is a tight-knit Christian family with old fashioned values. It is part of the show's charm. I personally think it is one of the show's biggest assets.

So, now you know a bit about the show. They are not pastors. They don't preach on the show. They just live out their values, and America has really responded. So much so, that the Gaines' business has exploded. Their net worth is now well over a million dollars!

So why should I be bothered by what is happening to some millionaire contractors from Texas? That might sound harsh, but, really, how does this effect me personally? As an American Christian, it just might.

Essentially, Buzzfeed is trying to bring down an obviously Christian couple just because of their faith. Talking about sin and admonishing sinful ways is basically the job of a pastor if he follows God's Word. From what I can understand, this is what the Gaines' pastor has done. Wow! Shocking, I know. They, being Christians themselves, may also actually believe what God's Word says. Truly unheard of! Now, I am being facetious, of course. It should be expected that professing Christians actually believe what God's Word says. That's kind of the point, is it not?

To try to make trouble for people merely for their religious beliefs is the definition of persecution. No, Chip and Joanna Gaines are not being executed for their faith, but if this "scandal" takes hold, it would not surprise me to see HGTV cancel their show. Should you lose your job because of your religious affiliation? I believe the Robertsons might know something about faith on television.

Thankfully, it appears that Buzzfeed is receiving quite a bit of push back against their article. The Washington Post, Heatstreet, The Kelly File, and many others have come out against the Buzzfeed article. Some are going as far as calling it nothing but clickbait. The Gaines family seems to be taking it in stride and extending an unbelievable amout of grace. I hope the damage has not already been done. After reading some of the comments on these articles and more, I am shocked to see how many people will openly accuse people they don't know of hate. Good grief! Hateful is not a word I would ever use to describe the Gaines family.

Sweet Jesus, please help us to be more like you, Lord. Please help us to be loving. Please help us to be kind. Please help us to be grace-filled. Please help us to boldly proclaim the reason for our faith.

As Christmas approaches, Jesus, or the lack thereof, will once again step into the spotlight in America. Christians are his representatives on Earth, as Christian literally means "little Christ." What kind of message will we send to the rest of the world? My hope is that we will step up, and be the ambassadors that God created us to be. Amen?